Amazing Bharat..

• India never invaded any country in her last 100000 years of history.
• The name 'India' is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshippers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu.
• Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus, Place Value System and the Decimal System were originated in India.

• The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The shikhara of the temple is made from a single 80-tonne piece of granite. This magnificent temple was built in just five years, (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD) during the reign of Rajaraja Chola.
• India is the largest democracy in the world, the 6th largest Country in the world, and one of the most ancient civilizations.                     
• The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. Built in 1893 after leveling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea level.
• India has the largest number of Post Offices in the world and The largest employer in India is the Indian Railways, employing over a million people.
• The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.
• India exports software to 90 countries.
• The four religions born in India - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world's population.
• There are 300,000 active mosques in India, more than in any other country, including the Muslim world..
• Chess was invented in India.

• The game of Snakes & Ladders was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. It was originally called 'Mokshapat.  
• The Vishnu Temple in the city of Tirupathi built in the 10th century, is the world's largest religious pilgrimage destination. Larger than either Rome or Mecca, an average of 30,000 visitors donate $6 million to the temple everyday.
• India provides safety for more than 300,000 refugees originally from Sri Lanka, Tibet, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who escaped to flee religious and political persecution.

• Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.
• Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.

Cultural India : Indian Carpets

Carpets are an integral part of Indian craft 

traditions. The tradition of carpet weaving in India is centuries old. Carpets are generally made from wool and silk. On the other hand floorings like mats and durries are made up of a variety of material, ranging from wool, cotton, jute, coir, bamboo and grass. The origin of carpet weaving traditions in India goes to the medieval period. The Mughals borrowed the Persian technique of carpet weaving. Mughal carpets were as elaborate as their miniature paintings and illustrated court life, animals and floral motifs. 

Akbar is said to have laid the foundation of carpet weaving tradition in India by bringing some carpet weavers from Persia. Soon carpet weavings centers were established at Agra, Delhi and Lahore. Mughal carpets were brightly colored and it is amazing to note that some of the hand knotted silk carpets had as many as 4224 knots per square inch. The present carpet weaving tradition in India is largely influenced by the carpet tradition of the Mughals. 

The modern Indian carpet and flooring traditions are largely a continuation of and they have beautifully molded themselves to suit the needs and aspirations of the modern times. The credit of popularizing Indian carpets in foreign markets goes to the artistic abilities and skill of the Indian carpet weavers. In India, different states have their own carpet weaving traditions. 

The modern carpet weaving industry in India is largely spread over eastern UP, in Bhadohi- Mirzapur belt. This belt is said to be the leading woolen carpet-producing center in the country. Tufted woolen carpets are gaining popularity these days. Gabbe woolen carpets, chain stitch rugs and carpets, and namdas are also made in India. The state of Kashmir is home to the finest silk carpets in India.

Indian Pottery

Like all other handicrafts and crafts, the tradition of pottery making in India is very old. The ancient pottery of a country speaks volumes about its civilization. Pottery is one of those important mediums through which men have expressed their emotions. For thousands of years pottery art has been one of the most beautiful forms of expression. A piece of pottery has a visual message in its shape and color.

Pottery is the most sensual of all arts. In India, we have had a great tradition of pottery making. In fact, being an agricultural country, pots for storage of water and grains were in demand. The real beginning of Indian pottery began with the Indus Valley Civilization and the art of shaping and baking clay articles as pottery, earthenware and porcelain has continued through the ages. While pottery and earthenware are definitely utilitarian and often decorative, porcelain and studio pottery belong to the sphere of art.

There is proof of pottery making, both handmade and wheel-made, from all over India. In the Harappaan civilization potter's place was quite an important one in society. The craft was well advanced. Rectangular oven for firing the product were in use. Seals and grain and water containers were made that were put to use effectively. The potter occupies a unique position in the craft traditions of India. India is home to more than a million potters. The potters are wonderful masters of their trade.

sand art.. "_"

 Sand art is the practice of modelling sand into an artistic form, such as a sand sculpture, sandpainting, or sand bottles. A sand castle is a type of sand sculpture resembling a miniature building, often a castle.
The two basic building ingredients, sand and water, are available in abundance on a sandy beach, so most sand play takes place there, or in a sandpit. Tidal beaches generally have sand that limits height and structure because of the shape of the sand grains. Good sand sculpture sand is somewhat dirty, having silt and clay that helps lock the irregular shaped sand grains together.

 If you only want your sand sculpture to last a day then beach sand is great as it is free, clean, and quick to use.  Beach sand is rounded due to tidal wash and wind, and has very little silt and clay.  This makes it more suitable for workshops.  However, if you want a semi-permanent sand sculpture then you must use building sand made from fluvial deposits that has angular grains mixed with silt and clay.  These three factors enable the sand to bond better but cause it to be slower to work with than beach sand, as the water does not drain as quickly.  The best beaches for sand sculpture tend to be those that are near estuaries, as the sand is constantly replenished with new fluvial sand.

 Beach sand sculptures will last for as long as they are damp; it is the water that bonds the sand.  Semi-permanent sand sculptures when outdoors can last for a month but are often kept for three months.  Sculptures kept indoors will last indefinitely.  Details are protected by a screen which is sprayed onto the surface of the sculpture during carving.  In addition, the sculptor engineers the piece so that water drains from it easily.
Prolonged downpours can damage sculptures, but the nature of the medium and the experience of the sculptor allows for repairs.
    Hand stacking is a technique largely used with beach sand sculpting.  You take very, very wet sand and plop it down, patting it gently and then wobbling it into the shape of a pancake with your hands.  Stop any vibrations once the sand is no longer like jelly, as you will break it otherwise.  Repeat the process by stacking one pancake on top of the other until you have achieved the desired height.  The larger your base the higher you can go.  Amazing Walter of the USA pioneered this technique, his work can be seen under 'hand stacking' in the gallery..

Sand Art by Sudarsan Pattnaik:

 Sudarsan Pattnaik: As an impoverished child, Sudarsan Pattnaik would go to his local beach and build sand castles. Little did the youngster from Orrisa, India, realise his hobby would make him famous and wealthy. 

   Orissa born noted sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik is India’s world champion when it comes to making sculptures from sand. Sudarsan utilized the sand available at the local beach to give shape to his artistic skills. 

  He got the Young Indian leader award on Monday by CNN IBN at New delhi. Including Pattnaik eight  young achiver were awarded for their unique initiatives like Chhabi Rajawat, Akhil Gogoi, Aga Ruhullah, Krushnna Patil, Udaya Kumar, Indrani Medhi, Irfan Alam in this ceremony.  Sudarsan receive this award from the chairman of UIDAI, Nandan Nilekani who was the chief guest of the event. 33 year Sudarsan started this unique art form  from the age of 10 and has represented India in  more than 42 countries by participating sand sculpture competitions and won many prizes for our country.

2 years after the 26/11 attack..

   The second anniversary of 26/11 Mumbai attacks is a grim reminder of not only what the terrorist did during 26-28 November, 2008 but also of their growing capabilities and of the urgent need for significantly enhancing our abilities to deal with the current dangerous dimensions of terrorism by addressing lacunae in our response mechanism.  With Mumbai still recovering from the grief and injuries of the 26/11 attacks, the Indian city remembers the catastrophe created two years back today. 

   It was this very day when 10 Pakistani gun men mercilessly shot at people killing 166 in all at the Hotel Trident Oberoi, Hotel Taj Mahal Palace and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in the city of Mumbai.Many meetings and gatherings have been organized throughout the city to mark the day and paid homage to those who were killed and to the brave people who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the nation. The Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also remembered the day and promised the nation that the culprits shall not be spared.

   Ajmal Kasab told the court that he wanted to make a confession and when asked what he wanted to confess he said he wanted to communicate the world that he has no feeling of guilt and no remorse. Ours is such a great country that evens the heinous criminals like Ajmal Kasab who killed hundreds on our own soil is yet safe in the police custody and creates an impression in Pakistan that he is still their hero alive in enemy soil. While we have almost forgotten our heroes instead our Ministers go and visit Kasab in Jail, asking if everything is all right with him? Though Ajmal Kasab has been convicted of death penalty, the nation is still awaiting the moment when the terrorist will be hanged till death  and the wastage of Massive money thats been spent on Kasab’s security will got a full stop.

14 gold + 17 silver + 33 bronze medals = Indian Glory at Asian games 2010

  
  The muck that it raised, organising the Commonwealth Games, has been made out to be the darkest chapter in India’s sports history. But, like every dark cloud has a silver lining, this one proved to have a golden lining.

  From pure performance point of view, thanks to the motivation the CWG provided to the athletes of performing in front of their home crowd, every penny spent on hosting the event now seems to be worth it.


  Given India’s stunning success at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, not many Indian taxpayers will mind that many of the crores have been lost in corruption. Such is the feeling of pride at India’s best-ever haul since 1951 Asiad.


 The Indian contingent exceeded all expectations by winning 14 gold, 17 silver and 33 bronze medals for their best-ever haul of 64. It’s not something which happened out of the blue. The conclusion, clearly, is that, the Asian Games performance is the reward for the Rs 678 crores the Indian government spent on the preparation of their athletes for them to put up a show at the CWG.
 Some of the CWG champions got carried away by the success at home. As a result, their performance at Guangzhou slipped, especially the shooters, but those who maintained their focus reaped rich rewards. The athletes in the track and field events (five gold medals), the boxers (two gold medals, three silvers), tennis team (two gold, one silver) were the toast of the Indian contingent.
 Not to forget Pankaj Advani’s win in the billiards event from where it all started, followed by rower Bajrang Lal Thakar’s gold in his back-breaking event and the kabaddi men’s and women’s hunger to maintain India’s supremacy.


  It was a heroic show for all, especially, as the atmosphere at the venues in their hostile neighbouring countries was as intimidating as it can get. The Chinese crowd back their champions like nowhere else and the pressure can unnerve the most seasoned of fighters. But, as the locals here will agree, these Indians proved to be a different kettle of fish. The 2010 Asian Games is a fine tale of India’s guts and glory.

Puppets of Rajasthan

   The puppets in Rajasthan are one of the popular sources of entertainment in the state.The art of the puppetry is practiced by a community of agricultural laborers of Rajasthan.Knowing as bhats these people have been  associated with Rajasthani string puppetry to carry forward their traditional occupation.Though they belong to Nagaur area in the Marwar region.They travel all through the countryside to exhibit their skills.

   In the puppet shows of Rajasthan there are number of wooden dummy dolls that are dressed in bright and colorful attires.These puppets are tied with string that the puppeteer uses to move them around.The miniature stage is set up with the help of a cot which laid by length.The puppeteer tacks his puppets over a rope joined to the upper legs of cots.The cots are covered with sheets in order to conceal the puppeteer from the view of the public.He moves the jointed limbs of the puppets with the help of the strings attached to each of them.Large beats of the Dholaks announce the starting of the puppet show.Throughout the show there is hooting and whistling by the Puppeteers.Each of the puppet shows of Rajasthan has atheme different from others.One of the most popular themes is that of dialogues of Amar Singh Rathore from Nagaur.The Plays are usually narrated by the female member of the troupe.The narration is accompanied with appropriate songs and beats on the drums that are in perfect harmony with the movement of the puppets.The shows,usually lasting an hour are enjoyed by the people  of all age groups.